Commonwealth Video games Australia boss fires newest shot at Victoria, says state may have 'completely' hosted streamlined occasion

Victoria may have hosted the identical pared-back program as Glasgow for a similar price however the authorities by no means thought of the choice, Commonwealth Video games Australia boss Craig Phillips says.

Glasgow introduced its 2026 program on Tuesday after it stepped in to host the subsequent occasion following Victoria’s withdrawal final 12 months.

Utilizing simply 4 venues, solely 10 sports activities can be contested at a projected price of 114 million kilos ($A221.51 million).

Victoria cited a finances blow-out to $6 billion which Phillips stated was “outrageous and overestimated”.

As an alternative of internet hosting, Victoria paid $380 million in compensation to the Commonwealth Video games Federation (CGF), of which $200 million has been directed to Scotland.

Phillips stated the Victorian authorities withdrew with out contemplating scaling again the multi-sport occasion.

“We had been pleased to speak to the Victorian authorities about discovering methods of saving the prices of the Video games and if eliminating sports activities from this system was a part of that, we definitely would have had that dialog,” Phillips stated on Wednesday.

“I have been on file as saying earlier than, we actually did not get that chance to have that dialog.

“We knew there was some finances stress and we had some dialogue with the Victorian authorities about methods of saving cash, together with doubtlessly shifting sports activities to Melbourne, lowering using short-term venues and overlay.

“However as we all know now, with the cancellation of Victoria, a lot of that wasn’t taken up.

“We’re happy that our Scottish buddies put their hand up because it’s vital for not solely our personal athletes in Australia, however the athletes from the 74 nations and territories across the Commonwealth.

“We all know how vital it’s to athletes, notably from the growing world, that do not get the chance to go to the Olympics or World Championships.”

Phillips held a gathering with the Commonwealth sports activities earlier within the day and instructed them the CGA would look to alter the structure to make sure they remained within the fold.

He stated there was no anger from sports activities our bodies towards the CGA however there was towards the federal government, with 22 sports activities included within the Victorian mannequin.

“I feel that is in all probability well-placed as a result of if it wasn’t for the cancellation, they might be on this system, these sports activities,” Phillips stated.

With 10 sports activities the minimal, he stated there was scope for the subsequent hosts in 2030 to extend the scale of this system and alter the sports activities included.

There have been questions in regards to the enchantment of such a slim-line program, down from 19 contested on the final Video games in Birmingham, England, however Phillips anticipated it to nonetheless be sizeable sufficient for athletes and followers to embrace the occasion.

“It is nonetheless a excessive focus of sports activities and we all know there’ll nonetheless be roughly 3000 athletes on the Video games and we’ll have a staff of someplace between 260 to 280 athletes,” he stated.

“We’re but to get the medal occasion program however our preliminary estimates are, with the sports activities which have been included, the variety of medals will in all probability be about 70 per cent of what was in Birmingham so it is nonetheless a sizeable and pretty complete program.

“We predict it should appeal to good spectator attendance in Glasgow, and in addition good TV broadcast curiosity and media curiosity right here for Australian followers.

“So we’re pretty assured it’s going to nonetheless have the required weight to be a horny occasion.”

AAP